AgSpeak Blog

Windrowing allows the natural metabolism of bacteria present in the litter to cause a partial composting process that generates enough heat to destroy many pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. Litter management between flocks is crucial to ensuring a healthy environment for chicks and will help to reduce potential health problems. Windrowing allows the litter to be […]

Flock uniformity is crucial to good performance in a breeder flock. It starts with what and how much a bird eats each day – assuming the feed contains all the proper nutrients, we should focus on delivering the nutrients to each bird equally. A flock uniform in size comes into production better, peaks higher, […]

The switch to cage-free layer housing isn’t a new one, and definitely hasn’t been an easy one. We scoured the internet to compile a list of practices and recommendations to help you meet welfare standards and still maintain healthy, profitable flocks. Feed In cages, feed is wasted when birds overeat from boredom. In cage-free systems, […]

There are no Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinner traditions in the Old World, nevertheless, turkey meat spread its fame and now, there is a number of European countries like Italy, UK, and Poland who are historically holding a lead in EU turkey production and a few new producers like Germany, France, and Spain are gearing […]

We believe in getting back to the basics, and in poultry farming especially, the basics are the best place to start. The summer days may be getting shorter, but the summer heat is only getting hotter, and it’s imperative that barns stay cool and birds stay comfortable to avoid heat stress. This short slide show […]

When we talk about evaporative cooling, most people think first of cool pad systems. Today, however, we want to highlight the less well known but more versatile evaporative cooling that comes from fogging systems. First to clear up a little confusion of terms: Fogging, misting, and sprinklers. Some people use them interchangeably but there is […]

The hottest part of the year can create many challenges for growers, especially those with larger birds. Air speed is the first defense we have against heat stress, but after the outside air gets above the skin temperature of the birds (usually 95°F/35°C), it actually speeds up the discomfort of the bird, rather than alleviating […]

During extremely hot summer months, it’s crucial that we provide chickens with as comfortable an environment as possible to avoid heat stress. Humidity is often much higher during summer months, both inside and out, so we should provide cooler, drier air for birds to find relief. Similar to dogs, chickens don’t have the mechanism to […]

Of course every farmer wants all of their animals to live to achieve their full and delicious potential, but despite our best efforts sometimes we may end up with some livestock that is not so, well, alive. When faced with mortality in the herd or flock a host of issues come up, not the least […]

Seasonal infertility – defined in terms of either embryo loss or abortion – is a problem that many producers face every year. But why is this a problem, and how do we limit it? In the early days of hog production, it was normal for sows to only produce one litter per year, farrowing in […]

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”2″ gal_title=”World Pork Expo 2017″] We attended the World Pork Expo just last week, and it was a blast as always. Hosted by the National Pork Producers Council, the World Pork Expo is the world’s largest pork industry-specific trade show, bringing together producers, their families, and industry professionals. With so many seminars, activities, and […]

VIV Russia 2017 A bit more than a decade ago, I experienced life in Moscow. Planning my trip to Moscow this time, I was imagining what has changed, curious to see Moscow and the poultry industry in Russia. As every capital, Moscow does not completely represent the country, and thus, Moscow has not changed dramatically […]

There are several types of ventilation options that can be used, some more common than others. In the US, where the majority of pig production is done in just a handful of states, all of which suffer cold, blustery winters, negative pressure ventilation is the most common system. In areas where climate is more temperate, […]

We know that biofilm is a tricky thing. It grows quickly, harbors bacteria, protects that bacteria from cleaning agents, and then releases those bacteria back into the water, potentially causing severe health issues. We clean and sanitize regularly to try to keep it controlled, but how can we know how much bacteria are actually inside […]

For almost 40 years, Val Watering has been the industry leader in closed poultry watering systems. Old but gold, this video still speaks to the value, quality, and dependability you’ve come to trust from VAL-CO. We stand behind our product. We stand behind our customers. We always will.

Water is arguably the most important element to consider when operating a poultry farm. It keeps birds hydrated, it encourages them to eat and is essential for the digestion of what they do eat, and it acts as an administration tool to deliver medications and supplements to keep them healthy. It is the essential solvent […]

Last week we talked about how important it is to have your drinker line at the proper height to ensure that birds can easily drink without spilling too much water on the floor. Of course this is important, but it’s not the whole picture, so this week we’re going to talk about water pressure. Let’s […]

Before we get started on why drinker line height is so important, there are a few facts you need to know: One: Chickens consume 1.75 pounds of water for every pound of feed. This is a constant. Two: Chickens have a maximum rate at which they can consume water, and this rate changes with age. […]

Footpad health is used as an audit criterion in US and Europe during animal welfare audits but it is a lesser concern than some other criterion. This is likely, at least in part, because growers don’t see any immediate financial incentive to improve paw quality. Integrators, however, have an incentive: chicken paws are really profitable […]

Mites are small but mighty… mighty destructive. Of all of the pests pestering chickens, mites be the worst offenders. There are several varieties, which we will review below, and they all cause grief in both farmers and chickens alike. They’re hard to see and harder to get rid of, so prevention is the best medicine. […]